Top 8 Most Quotable Movies
One of my personal “Theories of Great Cinema” has long been that while not all great movies are highly quotable, all highly quotable movies are at least pretty decent, if not downright awesome (and, of course, all of the movies on this list fall into the “downright awesome” category). A “Highly Quotable” movie is one with many great lines that even your average person might recognize, as opposed to just one or two famous quotes that everyone knows. (To give a classic example, I can come up with multiple famous lines from Casablanca: “Here’s looking at you, kid,” “We’ll always have Paris,” “This could be the start of a beautiful friendship,” and the several variations on a certain song request. An equally famous classic is Gone with the Wind, but how many lines can you come up with beyond “Frankly, my dear…” and “Tomorrow is another day?”)
So without further ado, here are my top 8 favorite quotable movies.
8. Men In Black (1997)
Agents J and K keep humanity safe and oblivious to the threat of annihilation by giant alien cockroaches with both sartorial and verbal flair.
Favorite Quotes:
“I make this look GOOD”
“It just be raining black people in New York!”
“Unlimited technology from the whole universe, and we cruise ’round in a Ford P.O.S.”
“It’s like he was wearing Edgar…like an Edgar suit.”
“Elvis is not dead. He just went home.”
Finally, I couldn’t find a video clip of the scene where J gives Beatrice a really good new memory, ending with the advice to “Hire a decorator, ’cause, damn!” but I did find one of a scene I like even better:
7. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The first movie in the Indiana Jones franchise is, in my opinion, the best of the four. It is also full of great lines from the intrepid Nazi-fighting archeologist, his friends, and his enemies.
Favorite Quotes:
“I hate snakes!”
“You’re not the man I knew ten years ago.”
“It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.”
“What a fitting end to your life’s pursuits. You’re about to become a permanent addition to this archaeological find. Who knows? In a thousand years, even you may be worth something.”
“Indiana Jones. I always knew some day you’d come walking back through my door.”
“Meet me at Omar’s. Be ready for me. I’m going after that truck.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, I’m making this up as I go!”“Bad dates.”
“Indy, why does the floor move?”
“Give me your torch….Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?”
“Asps – very dangerous. You go first.”
And of course, what happens when the US government acquires an ancient religious relic of great power?
6. A Christmas Story (1983)
Up until just a few years ago, I had never seen this movie, and I had missed out on all of the yummy, quotable goodness that is Ralphie and family’s holiday celebration. Very quickly, though, many lines have made into my regular vocabulary — things that might break are now labeled “Italian,” for example.
Favorite Quotes:
“Fra-gee-lay. It must be Italian.”
“Your aunt always sends the nicest presents!”
“Deck the hars with boughs of horry, fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra.”
“Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.”
“I can’t put my arms down!”
“You guys…you guys…”
And of course, the two oft-repeated mantras of the film:
5. The Princess Bride (1987)
Ah, a classic tale of true love triumphing over the forces of evil, much-improved with loads of witty repartee.
Favorite Quotes:
“Mahwadge. Mahwadge is what bwings us togevvah today.”
“There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in the world. It would be a pity to damage yours.”
“As you wish.”
“You’ve fallen victim to one of the classic blunders, the most well-known of which is never get involved in a land war in Asia. But only slightly less well-known is this: Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line!”
“No more rhymes now, I mean it!”
“Anybody want a peanut?”“Bye bye, boys. Have fun storming the castle!”
“I’m not a witch, I’m your wife!”
“Inconceivable!”
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Did you think I had forgotten about Inigo? How could I? He reminds us who he is multiple times.
4. The Return of the Jedi (1983)
3. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
2. Star Wars (1977)
I grouped these three movies together because between them they have produced so many great lines that it’s sometimes hard to keep up with which specific film they came from. Also, several of the best known lines get repeated throughout all three movies by multiple characters. I’m just giving you a very small selection of my favorite quotes because otherwise the article would be way too long.
Favorite Quotes:
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
“It’s not my fault!”
“Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.”
“I am your father.”
“I don’t know who you are, or where you came from, but from now on you’ll do as I tell you, okay?”
“Will someone get this walking carpet out of my way?”
“Aren’t you a little short for a storm trooper?”
“I’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee.”
“I can arrange that!”“I suggest a new strategy, Artoo — let the Wookiee win.”
“I used to bulls-eye womp rats in my T-16 back home and they’re not much bigger than two meters.”
“I love you.”
“I know.”
I wish the quality of this clip were better, but I’m sharing it anyway because it’s the only one I could find of one of my favorite scenes that also happens to contain three of my most favorite lines:
1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Let’s face it, for any situation in which you might possibly find yourself, there is very likely to be an applicable Monty Python quotation, whether from one of the movies or one of the many Flying Circus sketches. I find Holy Grail, however, to be the Mecca of hilariously useful Python lines (and somehow, the mixed religious references in that last sentence are infinitely appropriate as well). How many times have you seen a Facebook friend post a line from this movie, only to be followed by tons of commenters who add their own favorite quotes in response, lest they be thought uncouth and clueless? That in itself is proof of awesomeness and worthiness to be number one on this list, but if you need more evidence, consider the following (just a small sampling, of course)…
Favorite Quotes:
“We are the knights who say…Ni!”
“Bring us a shrubbery.”
“Now go away or I will taunt you a second time!”
“Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.”
“Death awaits you all, with nasty sharp pointy teeth!”
“What is your name?…What is your quest?…What is your favorite color?”
“What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?”
“An African or a European swallow?”
“I don’t know…aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh…”“It’s just a flesh wound.”
“I’ll bite your legs off!”
“I’m not dead yet!”
“What do you do with witches?”
“Burn them!”
“And what do you burn apart from witches?”
“More witches!”“Those responsible have been sacked.”
“I fart in your general direction.”
“I am your king.”
“Well I didn’t vote for you.”“Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.”
It’s so hard to choose just one scene from this movie to show a clip of, since they’re all pretty much awesome, but we’ll go with this one:
So there you have it, my top 8 list of quotable movies. Did I leave out your favorite lines? Did I completely forget about an awesome quotable movie? Be sure to share in the comments. Oh yeah, and “May the Force be with you!”
December 9th, 2011 at 4:38 am
Where on earth is Withnail & I? Where is the Big Lebowski???
December 9th, 2011 at 9:04 am
I never said they were *the* top 8 quotable movies, just *my* top movies. I haven’t seen either of the two movies you mentioned, but if I had, I’m sure they would have made the list. I’ll have to add them to my list of movies to see – thanks for the suggestions!